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Friday, 18 July 2008

THIS DAMP hanging curtain of cloud has been sitting knitting raindrops over these hills for weeks now, and everything is dripping.Tui has been fighting a battle with sneaky little leaks in the wooden body of the truck. When it rains heavily, deft little raindrops find their way through 30-year-old screw holes and down the sides of windows and he chases them out again with good old silicone sealant.Yesterday we drove off up and down a few hills to a Town to buy some groceries and passed a cheerful looking lady in suitable rain gear pulling behind her what can only be described as a tent on wheels. On the side of it were the words "Rosie's World Run" and we waved at her because she looked interesting, and she waved back. And we waved again when we passed her on the way back. On further investigation it turns out that she is walking round the world on a very low budget in the spirit of seizing the day. She is 61 years old or thereabouts and has passed through such chilly places as Siberia and Alaska before trundling through our misty hills. You can read and see more here.

I am busying away like a ticking bee on the clocks... and am chuffed indeed at the enthusiastic response from folk. I think I have settled on a price for now - £90 for a random Rima-clock that pops up in the shop, and £150 for a commission/custom order. How does that sound? I have a fair old little queue of orders at present so it may be a while before any random clocks pop into the shop!

In the meantime while you're all twiddling your thumbs, I'll tell you that I have a nice little nest of small prints for sale in my shop now.. they measure 7 inches by 5 inches ... if you have any little empty picture frames that need their bellies filling.

your clocks look amazing! I totally missed that the other shop is already open. i will be sure to go back and hunt for one of them. the cattle in the corner of the pic adds a great atmosphere to the prints. Everything you surround yourself with seems part of your world.

Sounds cold and damp there, but such a beautiful hill photo. I am such a sucker for mist and rain. Thanks for the scoop on Rosie, she has a cunning tent and lots of spirit. Chuffed is a fantastic word, am going to try introducing it on this side of the pond. Happy clocking! :~))

Oh Rima, Those prints! But how can I choose which one? I love so many! Tho at that ridiculous price I may just choose two... or so...

I feel like we are barely keeping the rain clouds at bay here. They blow over the mountains and rain themselves out before they reach the sea, at the moment. Still, rain does get my creative juices flowing!

What an amazing woman Rosie is! And she's nearly home. How would you follow that? :-)

Hello out there !I'm a what should be called a *newbie* childrens books illustrator, and I've been watching your works since a few weeks ago - when I came across your etsy shop, from there I landed to your site, blog, and so on. And each time I'm stunned again and again...

The price you set for the clocks seem very reasonable to me too (I'll almost say too reasonable) - they are your original artwork !

Oh Rima, I can't wait to see my clock!!!! I am glad you have settled on a price. I am sure as it takes wing your new enterprise will be pricier. I am just glad to be able to own such a magnificent piece of art. I will hang it in my daughter's bedroom, so she can dream of times gone by.

About Me

Rima Staines is an artist using paint, wood, word, music, animation, clock-making, puppetry & story to attempt to build a gate through the hedge that grows along the boundary between this world & that. Her gate-building has been a lifelong pursuit, & she hopes to have perhaps propped aside even one spiked loop of bramble (leaving a chink just big enough for a mud-kneeling, trusting eye to glimpse the beauty there beyond), before she goes through herself.

Always stubborn about living the things that make her heart sing, Rima’s houses have a tendency to be wheeled. She currently dwells in an old cottage on top of a hill on the edge of Dartmoor with her beloved, Tom, & their big-hearted, ice-eyed lurcher, Macha.

Rima’s inspirations include the world & language of folktale; faces of people who pass her on the street; folk music & art of Old Europe & beyond; peasant & nomadic living; magics of every feather; wilderness & plant-lore; the margins of thought, experience, community & spirituality; & the beauty in otherness.

Crumbs fall from Rima’s threadbare coat pockets as she travels, & can be found collected here, where you may join the caravan.